tour 2 of 25
Word into art
A sacred script
Arabic has a strongly sacred dimension. It is
the language in which the Qur'an, the holy text of Muslims,
was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in seventh-century AD Arabia
and the script in which it was written down. In order to preserve
the revelation, Arab calligraphers began to transform what had been
simple writings on stone into a range of subtle and beautiful
scripts with structured sets of
rules.
The Arabic script
spread with the faith of Islam, becoming a source of inspiration
for artists in the Middle East and beyond. Some continue today to
practise the craft in its traditional form, copying large sections
of the Qur'an. Others extend the boundaries of creativity
by using verses, words or even single letters in different forms
and on a variety of
materials.
Illustration:
Untitled by
Fou'ad Kouichi Honda (Japan), black ink on coloured
background, 2004. This is one of a series of three, each of which
has verses from the Qur'an inscribed in mirror writing,
with the left side written in reverse. In this case Qur'an
2:155 is used; the others, coloured in blue and green, use 28:88
and 55:26 respectively. Honda trained with the Turkish master
Ustadh Hasan Çelebi, receiving his calligrapher's diploma
(ijaza) in 2000.
(2005.5-10.03, Brooke Sewell Permanent Fund)